Vacant medical college seats cause concern

NA standing committee orders inspection of private institutions

LAHORE:

 

Punjab's private medical colleges are set to come under detailed federal scrutiny after hundreds of MBBS and BDS seats remained vacant, prompting a National Assembly standing committee to order a comprehensive inspection of the institutions.

The committee's decision follows growing concerns that the expansion of admission capacity in private medical and dental colleges has not been matched by student demand or institutional resources. Lawmakers are seeking to determine whether the colleges have the academic and clinical capacity to support the number of seats approved over the past years.

The province has the highest number of private medical and dental colleges in Pakistan.

Officials believe the outcome of inspections in Punjab can influence the admission policies nationwide.

According to sources, more than 700 MBBS and BDS seats remained vacant in private colleges across the country during the previous admission cycle. Of these, over 600 were in BDS programmes.

Education authorities say a large proportion of these vacant seats were in private institutions, especially in Punjab.

The standing committee directed inspection teams to evaluate every major aspect of the private medical colleges.

The review will include academic infrastructure, faculty, laboratories, attached teaching hospitals, clinical training facilities and the number of enrolled students. "Inspectors will also examine whether colleges are complying with the regulatory standards and standard operating procedures governing medical education," said a provincial health official.

"The inspections are intended to verify whether institutions granted additional admissions capacity possess the necessary facilities to train future doctors and dentists. Colleges found lacking essential resources may face a reduction in their approved intake, the official said, alleging that big private colleges in Punjab, especially Lahore, had been approved in past because of influence and were charging heavy fees, which was one of the reasons for vacant seats because of unaffordability and low standard.

The provincial private medical education sector has expanded considerably in recent years as additional MBBS and BDS seats were approved for several institutions.

However, the continued rise in vacant seats has prompted questions about whether the admission capacity has grown beyond the demand.

According to sources, the committee is considering a proposal to withdraw additional seats from colleges that fail to meet the standards.

Under the proposed framework, the number of admissions permitted for each institution would be linked to the availability of qualified faculty members, infrastructure, teaching hospitals and clinical training opportunities.

Members of the committee have emphasised that increasing admissions without ensuring educational quality could affect professional training standards.

They believe every approved seat should be supported by sufficient academic and healthcare facilities to maintain the quality of medical education.

Punjab is also expected to witness increased competition for admissions following the expansion of public sector medical education.

For the 2026–27 academic session, more than 500 additional MBBS and BDS seats have been created in government medical and dental colleges across Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The increase is expected to provide more opportunities for students seeking lower cost education through government institutions.

Education experts believe the expansion of public sector seats may further reduce demand for private colleges, particularly in Punjab, where students often prefer government institutions because of affordable tuition fees and established teaching hospitals.

Analysts point to the high cost of private medical education as a major factor behind declining admissions. Rising tuition fees, combined with increased opportunities in the public sector, have made it more difficult for many private colleges to complete their approved intake.

The inspection findings will be presented before the National Assembly committee, which will decide whether additional seats approved for private medical and dental colleges, particularly those in Punjab, should be retained, reduced or withdrawn.

The committee maintains that the objective is to align admission capacity with institutional capability while safeguarding the quality of medical education.

During the ongoing year's admissions in Punjab's private medical colleges, 426 MBBS seats remained vacant after the completion of the process.